But first – since this is Christmas Month – how about a list? Here are my favorite Christmas movies where Christmas is in the background but nowhere near the point of the film. Please to enjoy. [Read on here…]

10. Child’s Play – Chucky’s origin film – and he started out as an Xmas present!

9. The Ref – Denis Leary first showed signs of nice acting chops in this pitch-black comedy about a thief forced to take a pre-divorce couple hostage (Kevin Spacey and Judy Davis) that he ends up playing marriage counselor to.

8. Trading Places – Eddie Murphy, Dan Aykroyd and Jamie Lee Curtis (flashing some partial frontal nudity) in a John Landis film that’s just as good as his other classics Blues Brothers and American Werewolf. This guy really is a master of his craft.

7. Long Kiss Goodnight – The first appearance of good ol’ Shane Black and his fetish for all things Yule on my list – keep looking for more. Geena Davis plays a sleeping sleeper agent who wakes up and attempts to complete an old mission while wrestling with her newfound persona and failing miserably. A great little film that sadly hasn’t been aging so well.

6. Gremlins – Love this film. If you haven’t seen it, do it.

5. Batman Returns – this is still my favorite of the Batman movies – all of them. It just gets everything right.

4. The Thin Man – This is an incredible classic film (and film series) that everyone should know more about. Track these films down. An old school detective yarn with a comedic twist, originally from the pen of Dashiell Hammett with William Powell and Myrna Low as Nick and Nora Charles – a married couple with acid tongues, livers of steel and a dog named Asta.

3. Lethal Weapon – More Shane Black. A wonderful action buddy comedy that, regardless of your present day feelings about Mel Gibson, is actually as good today as it was in the 80s.

2. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang – What? Another Shane Black title – this one directed by him too? Damn, this guy loves Christmas. If you know nothing about this little whodunit, good. Check it out right now and love it as much as me.

1. Die Hard – Still a great movie – I don’t care about the genre. I watch this whenever I can.

Ho Ho Ho – more lists next week. You’ve been warned.

Okay, so watch this – this is going to hurt...

Guardians of the Galaxy – One of the best Marvel films ever – and without a single major character from their Universe. I’ve been a Rocket Raccoon fan since his first appearance and I hate Gunn that much more for being able to make a movie with him. Not that I’m a Hollywood power player, but a guy can dream, right?

Frank – I know nothing about this and it just looks weird. A guy with a Moral Orel head mask joins a band. That’s all I know. Stars Michael Fassbender as the guy in the mask.

Dead Snow 2: Dead Vs. Red – The Nazi zombies are back – this time fighting Soviet zombies. Is it good? I have no idea. Probably okay to watch. I’ll know tonight.

Criterion Releases: Time Bandits reissue – cool lenticular cover Criterion, I’m in. Safe – A weird social commentary flick starring Julianne Moore and directed by Todd Haynes. Night Porter reissue – Dirk Bogarde stars as a former Nazi who bumps into Charlotte Rampling who was a former concentration camp prisoner under his control and something of a lover in the form of an odd S&M relationship they had. When the two meet several years after they start up their relationship.

And there you go. For my money – Guardians is the only must have release of the week, but Time Bandits ain’t too shabby. But that’s pretty much it. Suuuuuuucks. Though, it makes it easily for me to shop for friends instead of myself this week, so I guess – thank you Hollywood.

I’m still full from Thanksgiving, boy howdy. My Mom cooks up a mean Turkey.

Welcome to the last month of 2014. Christmas is coming fast, and with it a new year. Jeez, this year swam on by. I guess the older you get, the quicker time progresses. I remember being a kid and feeling like it took forever to get through a year. Now, it seems like yesterday I was at Comic-Con. Oh well. Enough about that – let’s look at another light week. But one filled with one major, huge thing that I want – for no good reason. [Read on here…]

Stanley Kubrick: The Masterpiece Collection – 200 bucks for another release of Lolita, Dr. Strangelove, 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, Barry Lyndon, The Shining, Full Metal Jacket and Eyes Wide Shut seems a bit much, but maybe not. This set includes a new 78 page hardcover of archival images and two new documentaries: Kubrick Remembered and Stanley Kubrick in Focus, as well as the three previous documentaries from previous releases: Once Upon a Time… A Clockwork Orange, Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures, and O Lucky Malcolm! You should be able to find this floating in the 140 dollar range online, so it’s not too bad for a collection of eight definitive masterpieces.

As Above/So Below – A young alchemist searches for the philosopher’s stone in the Paris (France) catacombs with a team of friends and guides only to find ... something else. I guess. Looks too claustrophobic for me. Apparently this was shot on location inside the Paris catacombs – so, if you’ve ever been curious to see them but never wanted to go yourself; here’s your chance.

The Congress – Ari Folman, who gave us Waltz with Bashir, brings us this live-action/animation hybrid focusing on Robin Wright (or a version of her) who sells the rights to her image with the caveat that she never act again – her scan to replace all future acting endeavors. This kicks off a whole level of super cool, twisty sci-fi head scratching – all worth the trip. Based on this and Bashir, I for one, look forward to Folman’s threat of making Jodorowsky’s vision of Dune come to life.

Kite – A live action adaptation of a hella-violent anime. It’s about a young teenaged super assassin girl (of course it is). I haven’t seen this iteration, but it looks interesting. It’s probably not though.

The Hundred Foot Journey – Lasse Hallström directs and Helen Mirren stars in this story about two feuding restaurants in London. But I bet you it has more to do about the perceived divide between cultures and generations. Can all differences be set aside when you realize that passion can cross that difference? I’m guessing with EPs Spielberg and Oprah the answer is yes.

Broad City: Season 1 – This is a quirky and weird comedy series that has grown on me. It’s about these two hipster girls living in New York, and damnit, it’s really funny. It’s also crass as hell. But it’s funny. The new season comes to Comedy Central in January.

Devilman: The Complete TV Series – I’m super excited by this and had no idea it was coming out until I put this list together. Bill? [Editor’s Note: Wow, I had no idea it was coming out either.]

Justified: Season 5 – Some say this is one of the best shows on TV, but really, it’s only because it’s about two of the best characters on TV – the show itself has been kinda hit or miss. The show ends this next season and that’s a bummer.

Happy Turkey Week my fellow Americans. For those of you in other parts of the world who have no idea and question my sanity; this Thursday a whole bunch of us will be sitting down with our gathered family members to eat a turkey, mashed potatoes and good ol’ American can-shaped jellied cranberry to celebrate ... something. I try and stay out of the politics of holidays when food is involved. In my world, it’s all about family. And the Dallas Cowboy and Detroit Lions football games. Did I mention we watch football games too. No? We do that as well. I don’t know why.

Anyway, in honor of this occasion, here’s a list of good Thanksgiving movies. In no particular order – thus, alphabetized. [Read on here…]

10. Tadpole – a goofy kid comes home from school and macks on his Mom’s friend. That’s what I took away at least.

9. Scent of a Woman – A favorite film of mine regardless of the holiday weekend this film takes place in.

8. Planes, Trains and Automobiles – Another favorite film of mine. Candy and Martin are gold in this.

7. Pieces of April – Better than I thought. I realized I liked Katie Holmes with this film.

6. The Last Waltz – This one counts. Watch it to see why. Scorsese does no wrong.

5. House of Yes – Weird. Wild. All the way well done.

4. Home for the Holidays – Cute holiday film.

3. Hannah and Her Sisters – I know Woody is bad mojo right now, but he’s a great filmmaker and this is a great film.

2. Alice’s Restaurant – Great song. Okay movie.

1. A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving – I know it’s not a movie, but it’s my favorite holiday program for this time of year. Sentimental and full of joy.

Okay, hope you check out some of those films if you’re unfamiliar. All worth your time.

It’s a pretty light week – I guess distributors are expecting more travel and family than rushing to the stores on Tuesday. But by Friday – EVERYONE will be in a store. Uhg, I hate Black Friday, and I’ve never worked retail.

Let’s take a look at this week’s spotlight releases:

The Expendables 3 – Sly and the gang up the ante with a huge helping of superstar talent added to the mix. The loss of Bruce is unnoticeable with the addition of Han Solo himself. Buy the Blu-ray for the film but stay for the special features – one of the better behind-the-scenes for a modern film seen in years.

The Giver – I’m too old for the YA craze, but this is another one of those. I looked at the summary on Wikipedia and it sounds batshit in terms of backstory and sequels. We’ll see if they make more, but good lord, it’s a wacky story.

The November Man – Pierce Brosnan stars as a CIA spook who has killed more people that cancer and heart attacks combined. This film follows Pierce as his hurtles through backstabbings, friends who are now enemies who are now friends, and femme fatales galore. Sounds cool.

Stretch – This is one wacky flick. I can see why Universal had no idea what to do with it. It’s slightly schizoid and has a bit of trouble setting itself up. But it’s neat to watch. I don’t see this being anyone’s favorite film of all-time though. Directed and written by Joe Carnahan and starring Patrick Wilson, Chris Pine, Brooklyn Decker, Ed Helms, Jessica Alba and James Badge Dale. A cast like that deserves your time.

What If (The F Word) – A romantic comedy starring Daniel Radcliffe, Zoe Kazan and Adam Driver. Hmmmm. I dunno. I’ll check it out, but with one eyebrow raised.

Les Blank: Always for Pleasure (Criterion) – Fourteen incredible documentaries are gathered here - all fully remastered and joined by a plethora of special features celebrating one of cinema’s unsung documentary heroes. Can’t go wrong with that.

The Long Goodbye – Just in time for PT Anderson’s Inherent Vice comes a film the book and the film owe a slight debt to. I actually love this film – it’s a great adaptation of the Chandler novel, a wonderful version of Philip Marlowe and a super fun Altman film. An all-around great neo-noir with some great characters, fantastic acting from the likes of Elliott Gould, Sterling Hayden and Henry Gibson. A great, great film.

No list again this week – and no stroll down memory lane, either. This week is straight column with a full disc review on the side.

22 Jump Street – I can’t say I am too much of a fan of these films. The first one was cute and I remember scenes more than the movie itself. This one, I couldn’t remember a day after seeing it. Or did I see it? I don’t remember. See? [Read on here…]

The Dark Half and Monkey Shines – George A. Romero is one of my favorite filmmakers. Mostly because of his zombie films; but I like most of his other stuff too. These two films are on that “like list.” Check out what good ol’ Tim Salmons has to say about these two discs here and here.

If I Stay – That Chloë Grace Moretz is gonna break some hearts, huh? Here she plays a young musical prodigy who has an near death experience that allows her to make the choice of moving on in death or staying in the land of the living. Most the film plays out in flashbacks to give her dilemma some weight. Good performances but not a very great story. Rental at best.

Into the Storm – What this film shows is that Twister and its “finger of God” is dated. If you want to make a new tornado movie – it’s got to be extreme with like five twisters at one time! Oh, and it needs to be shot found footage style! And it has to feature terrible acting and dialogue (apparently). This film accomplishes those mandates with flying colors. Too bad, because the trailer was pretty cool.

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For – Frank Miller is a singular voice in comics. Rodriguez is a singular voice in film. Together, they really made something with the original Sin City. This sequel is a bit too late sadly. If it had come out a little sooner, it would have been a hit. Close to ten years later and it fizzled. It’s sad, but all the reasons are right there on the screen. Maybe if they redefined the medium again, this chapter would have wowed. Instead it’s just a “okay, yeah, more of these.” I’ll take some more, sure – I’d like all of the Sin City comics filmed. But maybe when they do Sin City: Hell and Back, they should step back and really make it something different. The story calls for it – and the fans are expecting more.

It Happened One Night – Criterion’s (what have seemingly become) weekly release is Frank Capra’s romantic screwball classic (and first film to win The Big Five; all of the major Oscars: Picture, Director, Screenplay, Actor and Actress – followed by One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and The Silence of the Lambs). It’s a grand little film and I do hope more young people see it. It’s actually aged quite well.

And So It Goes – If you’re like me and said to yourself or someone you love, “Hey – when is Rob Reiner going to make a new movie? It’s been like 10 years since I’ve seen his name next to directed by. He was awesome in Wolf of Wall Street.” That answer to that is: he’s been making films. They haven’t been very good, but he’s been making them. This is his newest.

Ragnarok – Norway is a hot bed for some really exciting films, and this little action-adventure film looks like it’s a lot of fun. I’ll be checking it out this week.

Automata – Antonio Banderas, Melanie Griffith, Dylan McDermott and Robert Forster star in what really looks like a convoluted mess. One part Blade Runner, one part Asimov’s Foundation, one part Mad Max, one part District 9, one part Metropolis – I could keep going and I think that’s the problem. I’ll watch it because I suck that way.

Metallica: Some Kind of Monster – A collection of millionaires try and make art and seek couples therapy to help get through the hard parts. Fascinating documentary in the end, even if it smacks of entitled bullshit.

Trancers: The Ultimate Edition – One of my favorite bad films. I haven’t seen this edition, but I hear it’s actually pretty not bad. I’ll be picking it up soon enough.

That brings the week before American Turkey Day to a close. I’ll be back next week with some summaries and a list. Until then, keep missing Jahnke. I mean, keep spinnin’ those discs.

Not only am I a huge movie fan – I also love to read. Novels, short stories and comics; I’ll read the back of a can of ravioli – I don’t care. My mother is mostly responsible. In my summers growing up, she would assign me books to read and for some reason I did it without argument. It was mostly the classics: Robinson Crusoe, Moby Dick, 20,000 Leagues – the good stuff. She would also filter in things like Jaws because she knew I loved monsters. When I started to read stuff on my own – unassigned – I gravitated to Stephen King, gobbling up his stuff like it was going out of style. [Read on here…]

This led me to Clive Barker, which was a game changer. I became a huge Barker fan. Books of Blood, Barker’s first collection of short stories, became attached to me in the summer of 1987. Everything he wrote, I picked up. New collections, edited short story collections, even Marvel’s Hellraiser series. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve become less interested in his newer work. I think my love affair started to wane around the Abarat cycle – though, I am very much looking forward to next year’s release of The Scarlet Gospels. That should be a mighty fine return to the form of his I love so much. This year is the 30th anniversary of Books of Blood: Volume 1 – the book that introduced Clive Barker to me and everyone else in the world. To mark to occasion, Madefire – a motion book company – has started the arduous task of adapting each story, in order, into beautifully rendered works of fully immersive art (you’ll find that here) and I’m so very excited they brought in my friend Sam Shearon – dark artist supreme – to do the visualizations (check out his webpage here). The first story, the eponymous Books of Blood, was released around Halloween and it’s terrific. Hopefully new installments will come quickly, though I have to admit, I pulled down my old paperbacks and started reading them again to help ease the wait for these and Scarlet Gospels. See, the world is just DVDs, movies and repeated plays of Too Many Cooks online.

This week is dominated by an animate sequels, a TV show a long time coming and some comedies. Let’s start this rundown, shall we?

How To Train Your Dragon 2 – the first one was something of a surprise hit, but now, after a TV series, traveling show and Happy Meal toys, we now have a sequel. Am I excited? I dunno yet. I enjoyed the first one, but not enough to catch this in theaters. I’ll let you know after I check this out.

Demons / Demons 2 – Synapse caved to fan demand and released their beautiful remastered discs to stores. Originally available exclusively through their website in Steelbox editions, you can now order these from your favorite retailer. Do that.

James Cameron’s DeepSea Challenge 3D – In March of 2012 Cameron made it to the deepest part of the Ocean, hitting the silt at the bottom of the Mariana Trench. This is the chronicle of that adventure. Sadly Cameron doesn’t sing his South Park theme song in this.

Ending the week, in honor of the two speed bumps the space exploration industry took, both private and commercial, let’s do a List-O-Mantic for my Ten Favorite Space Exploration Films – this time with some commentary:

10. Gravity – I didn’t love this film, but I appreciated it enough that, for the genre, it impacted me. I doubt it’ll survive the test of time though.

9. Dark Star – I try and put a John Carpenter film on every list I make. This time, it’s Dark Star.

8. Apollo 13 – This is just a fun film. Not a great film, but fun as hell.

It’s time for GripeSoda’s final Halloween themed List-o-Mantic of 2014.

We did Zombies. We did Vampires. Today, I bring you the 10 Best Multiple-Murdering Movie Maniacs... according to me.

I’m going to get some grief for this one, but it really boils down to how watchable these monsters are over the course of the films they headline. There are two on this list that, if you’re unfamiliar with, seek them out and enjoy. Notable missings (but worth mentionings): Jigsaw, Ghostface Killer and Norman Bates. [Read on here…]

10. Simon Cartwright – The Ugly

9. Death – Final Destination Film Series

8. Leslie Vernon – Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon

7. Charles Lee Ray – The Chucky / Child’s Play Film Series

6. Jaws – The Jaws Film Series

5. Leatherface – The Texas Chain Saw Massacre Film Series

4. Michael Meyers – The Halloween Film Series

3. Jason Voorhees – The Friday the 13th Film Series

2. Hannibal Lecter – The Hannibal Lecter Film and TV Series

1. Freddy Krueger – The Nightmare on Elm Street Series

I’ll just leave that there to fester in your eyeholes.

This week is rather light – so let’s get to looking at what I think you should be aware of.

Begin Again – From the team that brought you Once comes the story of a New York City record producer who finds a muse to help re-find his love for music in this new world order music has found itself in. Full of ups, down, laughs and cries, it tries to recapture the magic that was Once – but it fails. Still, it’s watchable with catchy music and great performances from the likes of Keira Knightley, Mark Ruffalo, Catherine Keener and Hailee Steinfeld.

Deliver Us from Evil – Eric Bana plays a NYC cop who learns that the devil is real and a lot more prolific than he thought. From Scott Derrickson, future maker of Marvel’s Dr. Strange film.

Wish I Was Here – Zach Braff brings his quote unquote charm to the silver screen once again, this time with the help of an ill-advised Kickstarter campaign.

Life of Crime – A prequel to Jackie Brown, based on the Elmore Leonard novel The Switch. Yaslin “Mos-Def” Bey plays Ordell Robbie and John Hawkes plays Louis Gara. Also stars Will Forte, Jennifer Aniston, Tim Robbins and Isla Fisher.

Child of God – James Franco brings the Cormac McCarthy novel to the screen and I have to say, I’m intrigued. I’m looking forward to Franco’s adaptation of Zeroville.

Zombies were the thing last week. Vampires is this. I bring you the 10 Best Vampire Movies according to me.

This go-round, I’m including likeminded films in the same number standing – so rather than sequels or series, this time, it’s versions. Basically it’s kind of a potpourri of the best Dracula films at number 3 and the films you should check out to embrace Nosferatu (who, I know is Dracula, but just stop and let me have my dang list please). Please to enjoy what I think about Vamps. [Read on here…]

10. George A. Romero’s Martin

9. ‘Salem’s Lot (the original 1979 ABC Television version, not the 2004 TNT)

8. 30 Days of Night

7. From Dusk Til Dawn

6. Fright Night (the 1985 original, not the 2011 3D remake)

5. Near Dark

4. Let the Right One In / Let Me In

3. Dracula (1931) / Horror of Dracula / Bram Stoker’s Dracula

2. Nosferatu (1922) / Nosferatu the Vampyre / Shadow of the Vampire

1. The Lost Boys

Keep in mind, this list is mine – I’m sure you’ll have your own opinion on what could drop out, be added and on number placement. That’s the great thing about lists and nipples, everyone has a couple. Honorable mentions go to Chronos (11), Thirst (12), The Hunger (13), Interview with the Vampire (14) and Vamp (20-something, I’m sure).

I feel also compelled to remind those that bother to read this column that this is not a complete list of everything that’s coming out this week. This is a list of stuff I would recommend to a friend who asks me if I know any good movies that are coming out to watch or titles that I will be personally checking out or adding to my library. If you want a complete list, check out the Release Dates & Art tab on the front page.

Snowpiercer – This is a brilliant movie and you should jump in knowing nothing and just enjoy it. That’s what I did and I was sitting on the edge of my seat the whole time I watched this.

Life After Beth – Zombie love stories are a dime a dozen these days. But not all of them have a cast made up of Aubrey Plaza, Molly Shannon and John C. Reilly – so yeah, check this one out.

A Letter to Momo – One of Production I.G.’s resident genius’, Hiroyuki Okiura, returns to the silver screen (having not made a film since Jin-Roh) with this elaborate story about love, loss, death and, best of all, imps.

The Purge: Anarchy – I just watched the first Purge film the other day and I’m curious about this world. In my mind, it would almost work better as a comic book series or TV show (give it time, I’m sure) but I’ll give this one a shot.

Sex Tape – This one is here just because of the size of it. I WILL watch it, but I hate everything about it, so I doubt I’ll have a good time.

For the next few weeks I am going to give a Halloween service. The Internet loves quick lists so I’m going to give you a couple.

This week I’m going to tell you the 10 Best Zombie Movies (according to Doogan’s View – I’m going old school on you). To make it easier – if it’s a series, I’m including all the films of that series as one. [Read on here…]

10. [REC]

9. City of the Living Dead

8. Tombs of the Blind Dead (Tombs of the Blind Dead, Return of the Blind Dead, The Ghost Galleon and Night of the Seagulls)

7. Dawn of the Dead (2004 Remake)

6. Zombie

5. The Beyond

4. Return of the Living Dead

3. Dead Alive (Brain Dead)

2. Shaun of the Dead

1. Romero’s Dead Films (most importantly, Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead and Day of the Dead, but Land of the Dead isn’t a bad entry – it’s growing on me over the years).

You’ll note I don’t include zombie movies where the zombie is a worm (Night of the Creeps, Slither) or a disease (28 Days/Weeks Later). Consider those honorable mentions, with an unwritten Zombieland as number 11 and Dead Snow as number 12. Go rent some movies this Halloween. Next week – Vampires!

Now let’s look at this week’s releases, which really just boils down to one for the kids and one for the kid’s at heart.

Mr. Peabody & Sherman – One of my favorite things is this cartoon. I haven’t the heart to watch this movie. I will, but, it may take some time.

My Darling Clementine – Criterion seems to be putting one a title a week. This glorious western is this week’s addition to the spine list.

Venus in Fur – Roman Polanski keeps pumping out interesting films specifically meant to cause tongues to wag. This adaptation of the David Ives play Emmanuelle Seigner and Mathieu Amalric is apparently a whiz-bang that I can’t wait to check out.

Whitey – Joe Berlinger doc about notorious Boston mobster James “Whitey” Bulger is coming to disc if you didn’t catch it on its run on CNN.

X-Men: Days of Future Past – Bryan Singer’s latest sequel in his highly successful X-Men franchise pulls in elements of the First Class film making for an interesting coda and reboot to the series as a whole. If you’re a fan of the X-Men films, this one is fun. If not, you’ll want to see the originals first because there is a lot of “inside baseball” references going on.

Steven Spielberg Director’s Collection – This box set collects what amounts to Spielberg’s audience favorites, leaving out most of his critical darlings. In other words, look for Jaws, Sugerland Express and Jurassic Park. Don’t look for Munich, War Horse or Color Purple.

Well, it looks like all that hinting Lynch and Frost have been doing has paid off: Twin Peaks is coming back to TV in 2016. That’s pretty baller. There aren’t a lot of shows I would like to see return, but a few make sense. One is X-Files. I was never a terribly big fan of the show in its later years, but I do think it had an interesting mythology that could easily come back. Deadwood is another that needs to return. I’d also love Firefly (obviously), Party Down and just for my friends with hard-ons for it – Star Trek. Let’s hope some of these come back too.

While we wait, let’s look at some of the titles coming out this week to DVD and Blu-ray. [Read on here…]

Duck You Sucker! aka A Fistful of Dynamite – A lesser film in the canon of Sergio Leone, but that’s not saying much considering lesser Leone is better than most director’s best films. This one follows James Coburn as a Irish Republican explosive expert hold out in Mexico during the Mexican Revolution in the early 1900s joining up with a bandit played by Rod Steiger. It gets convoluted here and there and suffers a bit from not having the star power of some of Leone’s earlier repertory players, though Coburn is fun in his role as Mallory.

Edge of Tomorrow (Filed under "L" for some reason) – Cruise hate is really the only reason this film didn’t do better in theaters because, honestly, this film is kinda awesome. It’s really watchable and highly entertaining. If you missed it, be sure to catch it now in your home – you won’t regret it.

Foreign Correspondent – Criterion’s release of the week is Hitchcock’s second Hollywood film and a top notch spy thriller in its own right. Joel McCrea and Laraine Day star.

A Million Ways to Die in the West – I want to see this (haven’t yet) but it looks fun. Nothing will really top Blazing Saddles, so I don’t think the world really needs a modern comedy western, but I’ll give it a shot and see.

Nekromantik – One of the oddest, most provocative and offensive films that is actually really watchable that I have ever seen. It’s a head scratcher as to why that is, but I’ve always found myself able to get sucked into this film. That being said – it ain’t for most people, that’s for sure.

Obvious Child – Jenny Slate is really coming into her own since her ousting by SNL. Abortion and Comedy aren’t really bedfellows - and yet, this film works. If you have the sense of humor for it, you’ll really enjoy this.

Sharknado 2: Extended – I’m including this because there’s a huge following for these SyFy films. I haven’t seen it. Or its predecessor. But if you’re a fan, this streets today.

Topkapi – Jules Dassin’s spiritual sequel to one of my all-time favorite films Rififi gets the Blu-ray treatment, and guess what film is on the top of my shopping list?

True Confessions – Robert De Niro and Robert Duvall star in this kinda-sorta film about the Black Dahlia murders. Not many know about this film, but it’s pretty good and worth popping onto your Netflix for the viewing if you haven’t seen it.

Sniff... it’s the last street date in September. So long old friend. But never fear, little ones, it’s also the first week of October and thus the beginning of my favorite time of the year. Halloween is just the bee’s knees, ain’t it? I have a whole slew of fond memories going back -cough- years and so many favorite things that only come out at this time of year. Mostly food, but other stuff too. You’ll probably see me get nostalgic as the month wears on. But I’ll try and keep a cap on it.

This is a light week, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some great titles coming. This week’s the list starts with probably biggest title of the month, maybe even the biggest title time of year! That title... [Read on here…]

Chef – What? You thought I was going to lead with Transformers? That, my faithful readers, is a closing title. Jon Favreau passion project – a love letter to indie filmmaking and a not-so-subtle analogy to his filmmaking career is my lead. Favreau himself stars as a world-class chef who after a public feud with a food blogger, downsizes and becomes a food truck guy, taking his menu and his message on the road – all the while bonding with his son. Favreau was able to wrangle some top tier talent to act hi his film including Sofía Vergara, John Leguizamo, Scarlett Johansson, Oliver Platt, Bobby Cannavale, Dustin Hoffman and Robert Downey, Jr.

Once Upon a Time in America: Extended Director’s Cut – This isn’t quite the legendary Cannes cut of 269 minutes, but this is the closest we’ll ever see clocking in at 251 minutes. Leone’s epic gangster film was his last film – which makes me openly weep – and now we can see if as close to what he would have wanted.

Space Station 76 – This is a DVD only release and I know nothing about it but it looks fun as hell, so it’s on my list.

Sundays and Cybele – Criterion’s release this week is a weird little French film by Serge Bourguignon. It’s weird in that, it’s a beautiful “love story” but in today’s day and age (even, based on the events that transpire in the film – ANY day and age) it requires a lot of discussion. It is good though, and worthy of the Criterion spine number.

Transformers: Age of Extinction – Okay, so, for many of you, this is THE release of the week. Bay’s soft reboot of his franchise, this time with 100% less Shia and 75% more Marky Mark.

Fall is here officially in the US, so I guess the heat wave attacking California can shut the eff up now. Let’s all hope for small miracles, huh?

This week is all about the Blu upgrade re-releases and horror titles. Lots of good stuff, couple of “eh” – so let’s take a look at what I think you should look at this week. [Read on here…]

The Exorcist: The Complete Anthology – This set includes The Exorcist in both its original and directors cut flavors, The Exorcist II: The Heretic, The Exorcist III and both of the prequels: The Exorcist: The Beginning and Dominion: Prequel to The Exorcist. Some of these will be available individual, but with an Amazon price of 29 bucks, you should just bite the bullet and pick up the set. The first and 3rd films are worth it for that price alone.

Ghost in the Shell: 25th Anniversary Edition – I love this film. Always have. It’s in my top five anime films and I don’t see it ever moving out of that spot. This is a no-brainer upgrade for me, and if you know nothing about this film (if so, for shame) go right in blind and enjoy that experience because that right there – seeing this film for the first time – people would pay money for that feeling.

The Innocents – Criterion sent out its annual horror titles this week, and The Innocents is one of the little-seen classics of British gothic horror at its best. Henry James’ Turn of the Screw serves as the base of this creepy soup, with Deborah Kerr and Michael Redgrave as the meat and cinematographer Freddie Francis, the veggies. It’s creepy, atmospheric and definitely a welcome addition to the Criterion library.

Macbeth – Criterion’s other release this week if Polanski’s retelling of the Scottish play – a fine horror film, a great adaptation on its own and timely in the wake of Scotland in the news.

Neighbors and Neighbors – is a comedy starring Seth Rogan and Zac Ephron that I haven’t seen, but will. The other is a creepy comedy “horror” film that I can’t wait to see again starring John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd. Both are out this week.

The Rover – I really want to see this one. The trailer is atmospheric as hell and just looks like it will cause you to sweat as you dive into it. It almost seems like a Mad Max prequel if you squint at right and cock your head a little to the left. Stars Guy Pearce, Robert Pattinson and Scoot McNairy.

Saw: Complete Collection – At five bucks a movie, you really can’t go wrong if you’re a fan of these films. I wouldn’t pay 5 a film, but you might and this set exists to take your cash.

The Signal – Low-budget sci-fi seems to do really well. Primer was good. There’s this flick on Netflix right now called The Machine with Arrow’s Caity Lotz that is highly watchable. So, I’ll give this Larry Fishburn venture a chance and check it out.

We Are the Best! – I thought this was a documentary. It’s not. It’s a Swedish-Danish film adapted from a graphic novel about early 80s punk rock and I’m hooked. Definitely will be checking this one out this week.

See? Lots of horror – mostly good. A couple of “eh” stuff (mostly reped by the TV stuff which didn’t thrill me this week). But still, all told, I’ll be down a few hundred bucks this week when I pick up my titles. Come back next week to find out how I spend even more money on physical disc media. Should be fun.

Thanks to everyone who has checked in on me about my bum foot – it’s doing much better. I can actually walk now (with a sexy limp, thank you very much) and I’ve only needed to dip into my pain meds a little (I’m not a fan of pain pills). That’s put me in front of the TV a lot these last few weeks and what did I choose to watch, you may ask? I watched every friggin’ minute of Trailer Park Boys. Holy smoley that is a fun show. It gets derivative, but there’s a certain charm to the formula and they seem to know it because they kinda just put it right out there. Considering there are 8 seasons and 3 movies (and a special) on Netflix, I’d say you could do worse with your life if you’re bedridden. I mean, sure, build a boat if you have full use of your body – but if you’re feeling sorry for yourself and don’t feel like making a downstairs hike to your disc library – it’s a good call. As for the ‘fore-mentioned discs – there are a few shining stars out this week and a whole slew of upgrade rereleases deserving your attention. Let’s spotlight, shall we? [Read on here…]

Burt’s Buzz – Burt Shavitz is an odd cookie - but he makes for an interesting documentary subject. Shavitz created the Burt’s Bees brand and serves as the corporate logo. He’s everything you’d expect of him, and much much more. I found this doc to be quite fascinating and I’m glad it’s getting a wide release (I got to see it as part of a film festival selection committee and worried it would go the way of the dodo).

Ghostbusters 1 & 2 – Though the first one has proven to be one of the greatest films of the 80s, the sequel is growing on me. It’s not great, and there are many things I wished they either did or didn’t do (for example, why did the Ghostbusters need to be down and out at the start – it really minimized the story potential. There would have been so much more to do if they were solvent as a business or within the public. Character hamstringing is what I call it. Anyway.) Here for you and everyone are two great Blu upgrades that you’ll definitely want to pick up.

Godzilla – This was a good giant monster movie. Not a great film, mind you. Many many many holes to fill. BUT, it’s a good giant monster movie. Looking forward to more.

The Fault in Our Stars – Based on the novel by John Green, this a good, entertaining version of the old teens-dying-of-cancer trope. We’ve seen a zillion of these. Every generation has theirs. This is yours, Generation Whatever Your Name Is.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre: 40th Anniversary Edition – Supposedly this is the first time in its 40 years of existence anyone has gone back to the 16mm camera original and made a transfer. MPI/Dark Sky deserves some points because not only did they utilize the 16mm ECO Low Contrast Color Reversal Film Camera Original, they also made a 4K digital transfer and from what I’ve read, it’s pretty good with nice grain and spot on color representation. I haven’t seen it yet, but being a fan, you know I will soon. Extras include two new audio commentaries (one with Tobe Hooper, the other with cinematographer Daniel Pearl, editor J. Larry Carroll and sound recordist Ted Nicolaou), two archival commentaries from previous releases, featurettes galore, deleted scenes & outtakes, a blooper reel, still gallery, trailer for this edition, archival trailers, and TV & radio spots. If you can wait, in mid-October a super special edition packaged with a Leatherface apron, mini-prints and a special “Black Maria” cattle truck streets. Either way, looks like a must own set.

Think Like a Man Too – I haven’t seen the first film, so I don’t know much about this sequel - but I’ll give anything a chance.

TV Releases of Note: Pretty good TV week if you’re a fan of genre stuff. Arrow really found its own legs this past season and I look forward to more good stuff in Season 3 along with the Flash series. From Dusk has been on Netflix for a few weeks and I found it to be an interesting exploration of the mythos behind the original and its sequel films. This is very much a Robert Rodriguez endeavor with nary a QT to be found, but that’s okay. Grimm has one more season for me to invest in it. It’s taken some strange turns that I’m not digging and if it doesn’t go back to its roots this next season, I’m Audi. Hannibal became a must-watch show for me this past season and Cliff Stephenson’s special editions for this series are really setting the stage of what a TV show SE could and frankly should be, so if you’re a fan of the show, you really should pick up Season 1 and 2 on Blu. Of course, also streeting this week is one of my great TV loves: South Park. Doing what Simpsons couldn’t do – stay consistently funny for 18 years – SP starts back up next week and I am excite.

Whoooo-hooo! Pain medicine is awesome! Applesauce jet plane ambrosia salad peter built trucks. What was I saying? I have no idea. But it was important, so you should all heed that advice. Also: sandwiches can’t fly. Unless they’re reubens. Bill knows what I’m talking about.

Let’s get to this week’s releases that I think deserve your attention. [Read on here…]

Brick Mansions – So this one seems sorta pointless. An American remake of a French film (in this case District B13) that brings half of the French leads back. The first one was cool enough, and I’m not a big supporter of people who “don’t read” movies. Get over yourself, it’s easy and there are a virtual worlds of movies you’re missing. Standing on this soap box hurts my ankle, so I’m climbing down now.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier – This is the week’s big releases, and I’m pretty excited to own it. Heading to Target today, limping to the Electronics section and snatching up my copy with the exclusive making-of disc. I’m a savvy shopper.

The Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden – This is an interesting sounding documentary. Three different groups of people settle on an island in the Galapagos archipelago off the coast of Ecuador and proceed to rub each other wrong until some disappear/are murdered. Whodunit? I have no idea, but I’m checking this one out.

God’s Pocket – Mad Men’s John Slattery directs Philip Seymour Hoffman, Richard Jenkins, Christina Hendricks and John Turturro in a black comedy dealing with the aftermath of the death of a kid in Philadelphia with a less than saintly history.

A Long Way Down – Look, another Nick Hornby adaptation. This one stars Pierce Brosnan, Aaron Paul, Toni Collette and Imogen Poots as four people who meet happenstance on a London rooftop while planning to commit suicide on New Year’s Eve but fall in with one another to help themselves find a reason to live, putting their plan off until Valentine’s Day.

Any Given Sunday, Salvador and Seizure – Fans of Oliver Stone rejoice, three of his films come out from three separate companies: WB, Twilight Time and Scorpion. How do you like that? Oliver Stone said on his Facebook page that Any Given Sunday ”contains, for the first time, the original theatrical version of the film. The theatrical cut was 2hrs and 43min, but the (original) DVD version was shorter at 2hrs and 36min. At the time I was so jammed to finish for December 1999 release that I continued past the deadline into cutting the DVD Director’s Cut so as to come out quickly. Convinced this was the correct cut (still am), I asked WB not to release the rushed original theatrical version. This is unusual, but they accommodated me.” Sounds like a worthy Blu upgrade to me.

Palo Alto – This is a DVD only release and it makes me miss Larry Clark. What happened to him? This one is based on a book by James Franco (who also stars) and focuses on teenage life and how youth is wasted on the young. Looks interesting.

Prom Night – Synapse is just batting homers out of the park of late! After Curtains they give us Prom Night and that’s just awesome. I haven’t seen this version yet, but knowing Jerry and Don, you know the fact that they released it means it’s the best this film will ever look and sound on Blu-ray.

Pumpkinhead – I miss Stan Winston. He was a true artist, genius and wise-ass supreme. This was a passion project for him and if you haven’t seen it, pick this Scream Factory release up today.

Willow Creek – Director Bobcat Goldthwait and found footage horror film are not two things you’d expect would be good combinations, but add in Bigfoot and just maybe you have a cult film in the making you had no idea you missed. Now’s the chance to fix that.

Words and Pictures – Clive Owen and Juliette Binoche play two complicated people who happen to be teachers at the same school. One is an art teacher, the other an English teacher. One believes pictures convey concepts and emotion best, the other, words. Will these two see past their differences and fall in love? I’m guessing: sure.

That’s all I have this week. Next week we have a giant monster movie, cancer kids, parental nightmares in black and white, deux ex machina and a restored classic horror film. Just what are the titles to these wonderful summaries? Come back next week and I’ll tell you.

Sorry to hit you guys a little late this week. I blew out my ankle right before a long holiday weekend and wasn’t able to see a doctor until yesterday. Immobility sucks. Unending pain sucks. Getting old sucks. But because I’m the cool older cousin you all deserve, I wanted to chime in in-between bouts of sobriety and numbness while I could. It’s going to be a short one, but it’s something.

Though, when we get to the end, you’ll see why I told Bill I wasn’t willing to take a by-week. [Read on here…]

Draft Day – Kevin Costner never stopped being cool. He could be a dick, sure, but every cool guy can be a dick, so it’s to be expected. Draft Day is another of his Costner Sports movies, and no one does ‘em better. This one looks at the good and bad of being the first to choose on NFL Draft day. Costner is the guy who gets the glory or blame for making the call for the Cleveland Browns. Ivan Reitman directs. I’ll be checking it out.

For No Good Reason – Ralph Steadman is the man. He was the eyes to Hunter S. Thompson’s voice. Documentary filmmaker Charlie Paul tries to show us the man behind those eyes with the help of Johnny Depp. Which is part of the problem with this, as interesting as most of it is, the documentary really is more about how linked Steadman is to Thompson and too much time is spent on that and not on Steadman, his thoughts, his process and art itself. We get snippets, but not enough focus.

They Came Together – This is a really cute movie I knew nothing about. The Showalter/Wain stock repertory company (including Paul Rudd, Amy Poehler, Michael Ian Black, Ken Marino and Christopher Meloni) jump up and down on the rom-com genre and everything that makes it tick. Lots of funny stuff, some obvious, some stuff falls flat, but it’s a good repeater. I’ll watch it again sometime soon. It’s like their Wet Hot American Summer that way.

Universal Monsters – Okay, if you know me (and who doesn’t) you know I can’t get enough of the Monsters!!! God I love them. Ever since I was a kid, it’s all I cared about. Star Wars, eh. I like the toys. But Monster Movies, especially the Universal ones – maaaaaaan. Well, for those that were upset that Universal only released the Blu-ray upgraded as a box set, you’re in luck. Dracula, Frankenstein, The Bride of Frankenstein, The Invisible Man, The Mummy, The Wolfman and The Creature from the Black Lagoon are now available as single titles. Joining up with them is the DVD only box-set Complete Legacy Collection that has all of the above along with their spin-offs and sequels on single-disc (instead of those flipper discs that get getting reports of bad glue). There is also individual DVD packages for the Legacy Collection sets for Frankenstein, Dracula, Creature, Phantom of the Opera, the Wolfman, the Mummy and Invisible Man. For shits and giggles, I’ll raise you Dracula (1979 with Frank Langella), The Wolfman remake with Benicio, The Mummy series with Brendan Fraser, Van Helsing, King’s Firestarter, Wes Craven’s long song to Twin Peaks: People Under The Stairs and The Watcher (which is very 90s, but also kinda okay) are also being reissued onto Blu. Get your Universal Horror fix this week!

Summer is almost over. Lots more to do, though, before it starts getting cool again. But September is almost here, which means a lion’s share of the horror titles will be streeting soon. Everyone else super excited for my colleague Adam’s Hellapolooza this year? It’s going to be grand, I bet. I have no idea why, but horror movies and acerbic wit are two things I love, love, love. That’s me shrugging off this week’s slightly lame releases, BTW. Best of the bunch: a Criterion release that’s long overdue and Walking Dead’s newest season on collected Blu. But there’s other stuff if you look hard enough. Let’s do that together shall we? [Read on here…]

Age of Uprising: The Legend of Michael Kohlaas – Mads Mikkelsen stars as local man who has his property seized by a greedy local businessman as part of a border tax. He seeks justice with the local constable but is turned away, so he sets their town on fire. Seems fair when it’s Mikkelsen. I’m actually looking forward to this, the story of Kohlaas as seeped into a lot of other stories and this looks like a righteous adaptation.

Blended – Adam Sandler in a modern Brady Bunch-esque story about two families forced to endure each other on a vacation in Africa. I’m not expecting much from this, even with the Drew Barrymore reunion.

Criterion Editions: All That Jazz and Vengeance Is Mine – Vengeance is a baller Japanese film and this is an upgrade reissue, but All That Jazz is the real deal kids. If you haven’t seen it and you think musicals are for girls and theater majors, get over yourself and pick this effin’ disc up today. Life changer. Now Criterion needs to get Star 80 on Blu and we’ll really be thankful.

The Dance of Reality – Alejandro Jodorowsky dips once more into the semi-biographical inkwell to draw a new story about his life, his passions and his art, all in the singular way only he can. This guy can do no wrong.

The Double – Fyodor Dostoyevsky by way of Submarine’s Richard Ayoade starring Jesse Eisenberg as a man who learns he has a double who wants to invade his life. Curious.

Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return – I’m just not interested in this, not when the 1939 film holds up so well. An animated pseudo-sequel is just... not interesting to me. But if you’re interested, it’s here for you.

The Normal Heart – Ryan Murphy joins forces with Larry Kramer to bring Kramer’s 1985 HIV/AIDS play to life for HBO, and damnit, it works well. Starring everyone and their mother, if you didn’t catch it on HBO or HBO Go, here’s your chance.

Queen Margo: 20th Anniversary Director’s Cut – Riding off the 4k remaster that was recently done, this beautiful reissue is definitely worth checking out if you’re a fan of this bloody bodice ripper.

TV Releases of Note: Almost Human: The Complete Series / Elementary: The Second Season / Sons of Anarchy: Season Six / The Walking Dead: The Complete Fourth Season – A few good shows getting collected this week. The sad-to-see-it-wasn’t-picked-up sci-fi buddy show Almost Human is good, but was a slow go. Elementary is a smart show with some great performances, Sons is awesome and this season was awesomer. And Walking Dead is just something we need to all jump on board because everyone talks about it and you don’t want to sound dumb on Mondays when everyone at work is all “Oh, my God!”

Young & Beautiful – From Swimming Pool’s director, François Ozon, comes this teenage sexual awakening film that could ONLY be French. And I love French movies, so, it’s on my list. Bite me.

Next week we get Costner, a documentary about Ralph Steadman, a fake rom-com, a whole slew of Universal Horror films. Yes, September is here. See what I was saying?

I just want to take a moment and say thank you to Robin Williams, Jay Adams, Lauren Bacall, and the great Joe Viskocil for all the things they did in this life. I know that great people (known and unknown) die every day; and all of them deserve to be honored. But for the way these four touched my life and just wanted to personally thank them and hope this message gets to each and every one of them.

Okay, so with the boo-hoo out of the way, let’s look at what’s coming out this week that we can watch in our homes. You know, because: priorities. [Read on here…]

Amazing Spider-Man 2 – I haven’t see this yet, but it’s the big title of the week so I’ll check it out within the next 24 hours. Ask me what I think then.

Fading Gigolo – I honestly don’t know what to do with this. John Turturro stars and directs himself as an unlikely gigolo with Woody Allen as his pimp. It’s an out there concept, but I trust Turturro, so I’ll check it out. I’m sure there’s more to it.

Leviathan – This is one of those pretty fun 80s/90s movies. It’s an Alien(s) rip-off while also being an The Abyss rip-off , but damnit, it works. A team of underwater miners (huh, huh!) finds a derelict Russian vessel and with it a bottle of vodka - that is more than it seems. George “Tombstone” Cosmatos directs, David Peoples and Jeb Stuart co-wrote and Peter Weller, Richard Crenna, Amanda Pays, Daniel Stern, Ernie Hudson, Hector Elizondo and Meg Foster star with monster effects by Stan Winston. That’s a hell of a pedigree. Check it out.

Only Lovers Left Alive – Jim Jarmusch writes and directs, Tom Hiddleston, Tilda Swinton, Mia Wasikowska, John Hurt, and Jeffrey Wright star and it looks like a fun ride. I know next to nothing about this outside of: it’s about vampires that may or may not be THE Adam and Eve. I’m in.

The Quiet Ones – 1970s England and a brainy know-it-all is out to prove supernatural forces are nothing but the fevered chattering of sick people, so he and a team are investigating a case to prove it’s all in a person’s head. Part movie-movie/part found footage and all Modern Hammer Horror, this one has me on the fence. Seems obvious to me. If it’s awesome, someone tell me so I can move it up my queue.

That’s it for this week. Next week is sorta light with Adam Sandler’s newest film being the big title of the week and a new Walking Dead set, but hold tight and we’ll get to them. Until then, spin ‘em if you got ‘em.

This is a pretty, pretty big week for release volume. Lots and lots of stuff come to store shelves, so break out your check books. I know I am.

Batman: Assault on Arkham – Technically this animation falls into the Arkham videogame world and not the DCAU - but when you’re watching a film about the Suicide Squad, who cares. The Squad is tasked by Waller to infiltrate Arkham Asylum to kill Riddler while Batman is tracking down a dirty bomb set by The Joker. Action packed fun all around, and I can’t wait. [Read on here…]

The Blacklist: Season One – One of my favorite TV shows from last year with the best anti-hero to be drawn on TV in a very long time. Spader is aces in this and if you haven’t checked this series out, now’s your chance.

Breathe In – Guy Pearce, Felicity Jones and Amy Ryan star in Drake Doremus’ improv-styled story of a foreign exchange student (Jones) who enters into a family’s home and proceeds to ransack it. I’m a fan of Like Crazy, so I’ll check this one out as well.

Frankie & Alice – This Halle Berry film has been out there for-ever. I remember seeing the trailer and going, “Huh? That looks okay.” It still does, but jeez, it’s taken a long time to come out. Berry has so-called multiple personalities and with the help of Stellan Skarsgård, tries to gain control. Screams Academy Award bait. I’ll bite.

Hateship Loveship – Kristen Wiig, Hailee Steinfeld, Guy Pearce, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Nick Nolte star in an indie love story (kinda) about a quiet caretaker (Wiig) who becomes the butt of an elaborate joke and how that all plays out for her - good and bad. Based on a short story by Alice Munro.

Motel Hell – I don’t care what you say, this film is great. Funny horror before there really was a such a thing. And this film’s existence beget the greatest magazine cover ever. Fangoria #9.

Muppets Most Wanted – I’m over this reboot. If you want your kids to enjoy the Muppets, get the first film and the TV series.

Rage – Nicolas Cage seeks revenge for his kidnapped daughter. I’m pretty sure this sums up a few Nic Cage movies, but this is a new one. Maybe we can call this the Russian one. Because there are Russians in it this time.

The Railway Man – Based on the novel of the same name, Colin Firth is a man who was a Japanese POW during WWII and years later, learns that one of his captors escaped conviction and goes after him himself. Nicole Kidman plays his wife and Stellan Skarsgård, his best friend who help and support him on his quest.

What I tell you – so many great titles this week. I have no idea how I’m going to watch it all, and pay for all of it. I need a second job. Well, while I look for additional work, you can pick a few of the above and join me in spinning these discs!

In case you were wondering, I left the Twin Peaks box set off my list last week because I was pretty sure it was going to get some heavy coverage from Bill or Adam, and I figured me writing a sentence about it was going to be pointless. Adam spent the better part of last week nose deep in the set, so that review should be up already [Editor’s Note: It is. You can find it here.] or it’s coming very soon. Having seen it with my own eyes, I have to say they whole thing: from package to content is pretty awesome. That Charlie guy is a good cat. This week is a bit light, but there is some good stuff regardless. Let’s check it out... [Read on here…]

12 O’clock Boys – Dirt biking rebels in West Baltimore speeding down the city street poppin’ wheelies at all hours of the night is apparently the name of the game in this well-reviewed documentary. I have to say, I’m intrigued. Intrigued enough to point out it comes out this week.

Community: The Complete Fifth Season – Dan Harmon returned to the show he created in this, the last NBC season; and as a fan, I feel it was too late. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good season with some fine writing. But the mojo left the show at this point, and I only hope they are able to pull something brilliant off in the new Yahoo season(s). It’s a very smart and funny show, and Dan’s a very smart and funny guy, so we’ll see.

Divergent – I’m not the YA audience demo, but this still looks neat enough that it’s in my Netflix queue this week. I’m hoping it’s a good time.

I’ll Follow You Down – Time travel sci-fi with Haley Joel Osment, Gillian Anderson, Rufus Sewell and Victor Garber? Yes please. It’s a DVD only release, sneaking into homes, so I’m not holding my breath, but reviews are saying it’s solid enough with a strong acting sense, so I’m there to check it out at least.

Need for Speed – This is the one this week that doesn’t need any push from me. A glossy videogame adaptation with Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul in the lead... eh. I’ll watch it, but I’m not expecting much.

Oculus – This one looks creepy, so I’m hopeful it’s at least a fun time. Plus Karen Gillan is adorable, so there’s that.

Phantom of the Paradise – I should have bought this one at the Con. I’m kicking myself because I didn’t. I love this flick. If you haven’t seen it, do yourself the favor of picking this one up and just dumping yourself into it and have a ball. It’s great. Probably De Palma’s best film.

Without Warning – Never saw this one, but the VHS cover always creeped me out with the huge alien head and the warnings. I should check it out now that I’m older and those alien movies don’t bother me anymore. What? They don’t. I’m not afraid of aliens anymore. Well, not as much.

That’s about all that caught my eye this week. Next week is huge actually. Batman, Spader, Wiig, Hardy, the other other white meat and Muppets are coming to you, and I’ll guide you through what’s good, great and not so much. Join me here next week and we can spin some discs together.

Comic-Con is complete. And with this last list, so is July. One more Summer month and we enter the Fall. Not a whole lot of major releases coming in this week, but there are some good classics. Let’s jump right in while I deal with my Con hangover. [Read on here…]

The Big Chill – Criterion continues their stellar July run with Lawrence Kasdan’s 1983 slice-of-life classic about a group of friends dealing with loss, life and everything in-between. Featuring everyone who was anyone in the 80s (Tom Berenger, Glenn Close, Jeff Goldblum, William Hurt, Kevin Kline, Mary Kay Place, Meg Tilly and JoBeth Williams), a stellar soundtrack and a script by Kasdan who make Empire Strikes Back what it is. Not a whole lot of negative can be said about this film, it’s certainly a Criterion title.

Cuban Fury – Nick Frost, Rashida Jones and Chris O’Dowd star in this comedy about a former salsa dance champ (Frost) looking to put the moves on a beautiful lady (Jones) who has to embrace his past and own up to his failures in order to be a winner. Awwwwww.

Lullaby – This flick can just be called Cliché: The Movie and be done. Except it stars a veritable who’s-who: Garrett Hedlund, Richard Jenkins, Amy Adams, Jennifer Hudson and Anne Archer. The film follows a underachiever who has to come home to New York to visit his father in the hospital as he works with his doctor to have his life support turned off and in effect, end his life. The acting is okay, the writing is terrible and the situations are really by-the-book. You won’t remember seeing this film when you’re done.

Noah – You know about this one, so I’ll save you the reading time. Looks awesome though.

On My Way – A French film I know not too much about except it features Catherine Deneuve so count me in as interested in checking it out at least.

The Other Woman – I’m not a fan of Cameron Diaz. But I like Leslie Mann, so... This one follows a cheater whose ladies team up and take him down. Sounds cute, but it’s directed by Nick Cassavetes, so there has to be some darkness there. I dunno – I’ll rent it I’m sure. Just not sure I’ll enjoy a second of it.

The Protector 2 – Tony Jaa and RZA join forces and... sigh. I can’t finish that sentence. I’m sure RZA is an awesome guy, and I love his music and most of the same things he does. I just... I dunno, I don’t look at him and a reason to like a martial arts film now that his Iron Fists thing sucks so bad. I out on this one, let me know if it’s any good.

Curtains – Synapse is back doing super cool 80s flicks! Sweet! This Canadian schlockfest is awesome, so you know the time put in by Don and Jerry making this thing shine is going to push it up even further. An actress goes full method by checking herself into a mental hospital to research a part but gets left in my the director who plans to cast someone else. She escapes and all the back-up actresses start dying 80s horror murder deaths. But who is the killer? Features a classic ice skating murder death. Looking forward to reading Jahnke’s review of this one.

Herzog: The Collection – 16 legendary films across 13 Blus is a no-brainer in my book. And if you were able to get the signed edition from Shout’s website, I hate you.

Legendary – A “good” cryptozoologist tracks down and studies creatures of legend. A “bad” cryptozoologist hunts them down and kills them. Nice. Dolph Lundgren plays the bad one. Nice. A misunderstood monster is killing innocent people and both men join forces to protect/hunt the creature to schlocky effect. Not so nice. Not sure about this one folks.

Marty – Ernest Borgnine has been in some great friggin’ film. But Marty, Marty was the cherry on the sundae of his career. Four Oscars (Picture, Paddy Chayefsky’s script, Director Delbert Mann and Borgnine himself) prove that. It’s a film about love, jealous friends and family and the rush of making a committed choice. It’s an incredible film and one I’m overjoyed is coming to Blu.

How about that, we made it through another month. I’m pretty excited. Really enjoying rapping to you guys about the weekly releases. I hope you’re enjoying the endeavor yourself. I’ll sit here smug, you can just keep spinnin’ those discs.

It’s Comic-Con week, it’s Comic-Con week, it’s Comic-Con week. Odds are, right now as you read this, I’m drunk somewhere in California. If you’re a bettin’ folk, make that bet. This week is chock-a-block with titles of varying awesomeness in their field of genre - all across the board there’s something cool. Sci-fi: check. Horror: check. Fantasy: check. Foreign: check. TV: check. I’m not kidding you. Check this shiznit out! [Read on here…]

All Cheerleaders Die – Under-rated indy horror filmmaker Lucky McKee returns in this horror-comedy remake of his own shot-on-a-shoestring-2001-film about a group of reanimated cheerleaders hungry for flesh and looking for revenge. I love his films May and The Woods (as well as Red and The Woman) so I’m looking forward to this.

Angriest Man in Brooklyn – From the director of Field of Dreams and Sneakers comes this Robin Williams film that looks like it’s from Bobcat Goldthwait. It’s what I honestly thought when I first saw the trailer. It looks really funny, actually. Robin Williams is an ass who is diagnosed with a brain condition. Because his doctor (Mila Kunis) is having a bad day and Williams isn’t helping with his fits, she tells him is going to die in an hour and a half 9which isn’t true). Hearing this news, he runs around town making amends for his bad behavior before he goes, with Kunis in hot pursuit to fix her flub. Has to be good, right? I’m hopeful.

Appleseed: Alpha – I don’t care, just having a new Appleseed anything is reason to be happy this week. This brand is awesome. And the fact that I’m referring to a cool anime series as a brand tells you our world is going to hell. Weeeeee!

Blue Ruin – They say any man looking for revenge better dig two graves, one for his object and one for himself. This is a movie about that. Funded by Kickstarter and premiering at Cannes, this is a dark tale, but one worth checking out.

Dom Hemingway – I honestly just want to see this because of the friggin’ movie poster. It just looks awesome. I don’t care what it’s about.

Ginger Snaps – A special edition of a now classic Canadian horror film about a pair of sisters who must deal with lycanthropy (werewolves, son!). This is where many of us first fell in love with Katharine Isabelle, so just for that – thank you Ginger Snaps.

Insomnia (Criterion) – I love this film. I had no idea what it was going in and was just astounded at home stellar it was at every turn. F*&k Nolan’s adaptation. Pick this up.

Sabata and The Scalphunters – Two great gritty as hell westerns on Blu-ray – yes please. Sabata is a badass spaghetti western with Lee Van Cleef, so yeah, get this. The Scalphunters stars Burt Lancaster, and I’m not as familiar, but I’m up on this one as well. I’m really going to spend a helluva lot of money this week.

Sabotage– Arnold is a DEA agent in this Ten Little Indians styled noir where a group of agents steal $10 Million in drug money from a cartel and pick each other off out of greed. A neat whodunit, but no classic. It’s a rental.

Shogun: Complete Mini-Series – If you know me, you know I love Japanese cinema, and this isn’t quite that, but it’s got Toshiro Mifune in it, so I have a certain affection for this five-part TV series. This is a Blu upgrade, and I haven’t seen it yet, but Paramount does good work and this 1080p remaster probably looks awesome.

Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance – The first in Park Chan-wook’s Vengeance trilogy (Oldboy and Lady Vengeance followed) is an odd affair about the domino effect of revenge compounded by extreme incompetence. This is a film that will have you talking to the TV with “no, don’t do that you idiot” type comments. Really.

And that’s that! I’m hurrying on out now so I can go stand in line for Hall H – if you see me, wave. Until next week, keep spinnin’ those discs.

Howdy folks! July is cooking on by, isn’t it? Here we are at the mid-way point and it feels like it was June yesterday. But never mind that, you’re not here to hear about my thoughts on time passage dynamics. You’re here to see what’s streetin’ this week. Not much it turns out, but there are some choice cuts. let’s check them out, shall we? [Read on here…]

Black Dynamite: Season One – Again, I need to point out I work at Adult Swim, but I don’t make the shows, so I have no problem telling you, you should watch. Black Dynamite has probably the best Pilot episode I’ve ever seen here. The show is good, but never touched the insane brilliance that was the Pilot. As much as I like the show, I love the film and do hope they make another film. Season Two of the animated show is in production and is just as good as the first season, so never fear.

Open Grave – The ol’ gang of thieves all wake up with no memory of who is the thief, who is a cop and/or who is a victim. But this one stars Sharlto Copley, so hopefully it’s better than average.

Orphan Black: Season Two – If you’re not watching this show, what the hell, yo? There is something wrong with you. Get off your ass and do something productive like go get this set and the first season and sit on your ass and watch it. It’s modern sci-fi with film noir, conspiracy and really great acting. I won’t spoil it for you, because I went in blind and fell in love by episode two; so you should do it the same way. Trust.

Rio 2 – Haven’t seen it. Love animation. Didn’t love the first film. Looks like more of the same to me.

A Night in Old Mexico – Featuring the pedigree of Robert Duvall re-teaming with Lonesome Dove screenwriter Bill Wittliff, you’d think this would be a must-see. And based on reviews out of SXSW, you’d be right. I can’t wait to check out Duvall as a cantankerous rancher who is kicked off his land and into, as the title says, Old Mexico for a last hurrah of sorts.

Pickpocket – Robert Bresson’s quiet classic about a thief and some choice he makes during a short sliver of his life gets the Criterion Blu upgrade this week. One of two Criterion’s coming this week. The other is...

Scanners – Been waiting for this one for a long, long time. I’m going to be at Barnes and Nobel today picking this up for 50% off. Nothing better than half-off HD Cronenberg. I’m a man of simple passions, it turns out.

Under the Skin – Bill loved this. I loved Sexy Beast. I also love Scarlett, so this looks like a no-brainer for me. I’ll be watching this one this week definitely.

Next week is Comic-Con, and of course it’s one of the busiest release weeks since I started this column. Sucks for me, but it’s all sunshine and rainbows for you. Keep spinnin’ those discs while I get a jump on next week’s list.

July is here and that means only one thing – San Diego Comic-Con is in the air. So many executives and filmmaking superstars, comic book artists & writers, bloggers, journalists and all the important personal friends they can get on the VIP lists for tickets flood the streets of that great SoCal city fighting to be the first that sees a trailer, buys an expensive book, toy and/or commissions a head sketch of their favorite superhero for 800 bucks. Ah, sweet, sweet commerce. And you know, there may even be a few legitimate fans if they were fast enough to get the 300 tickets available for them. Everyone else can just cosplay and stand around the Gaslamp Quarter waiting for trolleys to pass while girls in hot shorts hand out postcards to music venues with a mild sci-fi theme. You might think I hold this event in distain – I don’t. I’m just calling in what it is. And I wouldn’t miss it for the world. And with that, let’s look at this week’s releases to disc media, shall we? [Read on here…]

Bad Words – There must be a “Bad” franchise I’m not aware of, because here Jason Bateman plays a middle-aged jerk who hates kids (Bad Teacher, Bad Santa) who ends up learning a thing or two by the end thanks to those same horrible younguns. I’ll watch it. When, I couldn’t tell you. Let’s say, soon though.

Don Peyote – This one is DVD only. Dan Fogler joins forces with Michael Canzoniero to shoot a passion project of theirs. The trailer looks weird as all get out. Reviews have been terrible. I’ll see it because it’s what I do. I watch crappy films. I don’t always like them, but I watch them.

Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa .5 – I liked Bad Grandpa. This is the special feature that should have been on the Blu-ray. To charge money for this is a smack in the mouth to all who call themselves fans. It’s on Netflix “for free” so watch it there. If you watch it all the way through on Netflix, hidden on the additional suggestion page that pops up on the end is an additional bonus featurette – so get your fix that way.

Nymphomaniac: Volumes 1 and 2 – Jahnke’s going to be reviewing this soon, so he’ll be able to say more about them than I can. I want very much to see them and according to my Netflix queue – they are on route to me this week. Weeeeee!

The Raid 2 – This is a really good action film. I’ve been known to critique the flow of the first film for having the extraneous opening sequence saying the film should have just dropped us in on the SWAT van and started there. Well, I was wrong because this film picks up right where the last film ends, but without the opening to the original film, you wouldn’t understand the choices Rama makes to follow the twisted rabbit down the hole in this film all for the sake of squashing corruption. I can’t wait for the third film because there better be a third film.

Legend of Billie Jean: SE – I really like this film. A young woman (Helen Slater), her little brother (Christian Slater – no relation) and a couple of their friends (including Lisa Simpson) stand up to the bullies of their small Florida town and in effect become outlaw “rock stars” in the media. It’s a rather well-made film, and holds up rather nicely in all its eighties-ness.

Southern Comfort – Walter Hill will go down as one of the greatest under-appreciated directors ever – and if you haven’t seen this film, you’re missing out. Part Warriors, part Deliverance, part Predator even – Southern Comfort is a masterwork and it’s a welcome addition to Blu.

Stage Fright – Another eighties Italian horror film that I haven’t seen, but welcome to the upgrade format.

The Time Machine – In honor of my pal (and yours) Uncle Bob Burns, I draw your attention to one of his favorite films getting a nice upgrade: George Pal’s Time Machine is getting all Blu-rayed. If you’re a young film fan who hasn’t seen this one, this is another suggested must-see. Don’t question it – just do it.

And that’s it. Next week is going to be light with the biggest title (for me) being Scanners from Criterion. You will also get animated parrots, an alien ScarJo (I know she hates that name, but it’s cute) and the disc debut of one superbad animated muther... I’ll just shut my mouth until next week. Until then, keep spinnin’ those discs.

Well, that’s one more birthday week down. How many more do I have, you think? 5, 12, 40? Kind of a suck-ass question really, so never mind. Don’t send your predictions. Because this is a big travel holiday here in the states, it’s pretty dead in terms of disc media. Pretty much nothing really coming out of note. But if you dig through mucus, you might find some pearls. Here are some bright and shinys for you to entertain yourselves with. [Read on here…]

Afflicted – This look damn fun, and I’m not at all interested in “found footage” films. Two friends who run a travel video-blog go on a European adventure and one of them has a one-night stand that effs his life up. The backstory of the film’s production is just as interesting as the film itself. I’ll definitely be checking this one out.

Cannibal Holocaust – Ruggero Deodato’s supremely disturbing mondo film gets a Blu-ray special edition complete with a remastered soundtrack CD featuring Riz Ortolani’s score. Includes a slew of new special features across two Blu-ray discs.

Once Upon a Time in Vietnam – Original 21 Jump Street-er Dustin Nguyen makes his directorial debut with this martial arts epic that I hear is “fun” but I haven’t seen it, so ...

Helix: Season One, The Killing: Season Three and A Young Doctor’s Notebook (TV DVDs) – TV releases this week include the Thing-esque biological monster in a frozen lab Syfy thriller, Seattle serial killer in Seattle yarn and Jon Hamm as a future version of Daniel Radcliffe Brit-comedy adaptation of a Russian novel. Frankly, all of them are good, so if any are your genre, you can’t go wrong binge watching on any of these.

Bring It On, Cry-Baby and Kindergarten Cop (BD upgrades) – Finally, I usually don’t trumpet re-dos, but there seriously isn’t anything else this week. So if you haven’t seen upcoming Ant-Man director Peyton Reed’s well-made and funny comedy, John Water’s modern classic or Ar-nuld saying “It’s not a tomb-ah” – well, these are your best ways to see ‘em.

Next week should be much better. We’ll get Von Trier’s new double feature, a great doc in Jodorowsky’s Dune, Bad Words spoken by Jason Bateman, more of Bad Grandpa, more Raid and two young, pretty, unrelated Slater’s. Have a great holiday my fellow Americans. Everyone else, have a great week. Until next time, keep spinnin’ those discs.

Maaaaaan… it’s getting hot out there this final week of June. Maybe Global Warming isn’t some sort of scam. Or maybe it is. I have no idea. I’ll leave it for your truthers and “we actually landed on the moon” debaters to figure that one out.

As for me, it’s my birthday week – so I’m all about me this week and weekend. And then it’s BBQ and beer and more BBQ and even more beer next week during American Fourth of July. It’s gonna be a good next two weeks. For me at least. For you: this week’s disc releases are only “okay” but there’s some good stuff in here. Let’s start with the big title... [Read on here…]

300: Rise of an Empire – Zack Snyder is a good dude. He’s made some really good movies and some good choices in those movies. He’s not a cinematic god at this point, but he’s someone I still enjoy watching. And yes, I know he didn’t personally direct this film – but his greasy fingerprints are all over it. This one picks up right where the last one ended (and kinda sorta parallel to it) and concerns the backstory of Xerses, his sister Artemisia played by Eva Green and Greek hero Themistocles who leads his men into battle on the Aegean Sea. I think it’s a good addition to the first (nothing beats the first though) and it’s quite enjoyable. Definitely worth checking out on Blu if you missed it in theaters.

Blood Ties – I loved Tell No One, the last film I saw from French director Guillaume Canet, so even though this one looks like more of the same, I’ll give it a shot. Two brothers, one on each side of the law, head directly for each other. Stars everyone ever including Clive Owen, Billy Crudup, Marion Cotillard, Mila Kunis, James Caan, Zoe Saldana, Lili Taylor, Noah Emmerich and Matthias Schoenaerts.

Enemy – Denis Villeneuve once again teams up with Jake Gyllenhaal (they worked previously on Prisoners) about a film about sex, death and doppelgangers. Oh, and giant spiders. Yeah, I don’t know either. But of course I’m going to watch it.

Winter’s Tale – haven’t heard a single good thing about this, but it’s too big a title not to a) mention and b) watch myself... so, here it is in all its’ glory. An all-star cast lead by Colin Farrell, Oscar winner Akiva Goldsman writing and directing – all based on a fan favorite novel, what can go wrong?

The Boondocks: Season Four and The Uncensored Series (DVD Only) – Being forthright, I work at Adult Swim but not on this show (it’s a license) so I figure it’s not a big deal to promote this one. I’m mainly pointing out the uncensored edition, because if you’re going to watch Boondocks, you might as well go all the way with it, right?

The Bridge: Season One – I really liked this FX series. It’s really weird and Lynchian in parts, but then it’s also like a dust-swept Silence of the Lambs too. I love that the hero is autistic and that it sorta ends seven episodes in and keeps going. I’m really looking forward to season two starting up in July – so if you’re unfamiliar, do jump in and join me.

A Hard Day’s Night – Criterion’s release this week is the Beatles film that started it all. Not really, but that was an easy sentence to write, so I’m keeping it.

Peter Gabriel: Back to Front – Live in London – Our host and editor Bill Hunt will most likely chirp about this one on the front page or review it whole at some point because he’s a huge Gabriel fan. I actually wouldn’t be surprised if he was in the audience for this when they shot it.

Star Trek: The Next Generation: Season6 – One more season to go and this remastering project is done. Bits friend and content producer (and filmmaker) extraordinaire Robert Meyer Burnett once again helped produce the extras on this and continues his long win streak.

Screamers – I’m not overly familiar with this Italian horror film outside of the cover art when I haunted the local video store as a kid. I’m all for remastered horror films from my youth, thus – let’s trumpet this one this week from Scorpion; hooray!

That’s it then. Hardly anything is coming next week for you to entertain yourselves with – sorry. I’ll still chime in. But until then, reach into your library, find something you love and keep spinnin’ THOSE discs.